Lesson 8 - The Nervous System

cephal/o

head

cerebell/o

cerebellum

cerebr/o

cerebrum (brain)

concuss/o

shaken together / violently agitated

contus/o

bruise

crani/o

cranium / skull

encephal/o

brain

gli/o

glial cell

mening/o, meningi/o

meninges (membranes around the brain and cord)

myel/o

spinal cord (also bone marrow)

neur/o, neur/i

nerve / nerve tissue

poli/o

gray matter of the brain and spinal cord

radicul/o

nerve root

caus/o

burning

esthet/o

feeling / sensation

a-, an-

without / absence of

anti-

against

post-

after

-blast

immature

-esthesia

feeling / sensation

-graphy

the process of producing a record

-lepsy

seizure

-oma

tumor

-pathy

disease

-phasia

speech

-phobia

irrational fear

-plegia

paralysis

-tropic

having an affinity for

Alzheimer's disease

Brain disorder that destroys memory, thinking, and language; the most common dementia.

amnesia

Memory loss — partial or total inability to recall the past.

amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)

Motor nerve cells die off until the muscles are completely paralyzed.

anesthesiologist

Physician who gives anesthesia before and during surgery.

anesthetic

Drug that brings on anesthesia — the loss of sensation or pain.

anesthetist

Non-physician (such as a nurse) who gives anesthesia.

carotid ultrasonography

Ultrasound of the carotid artery to find plaque and predict an ischemic stroke.

cerebrovascular accident (CVA)

Brain damage from interrupted or blocked blood flow; a stroke.

cervical radiculopathy

Nerve pain from pressure on the nerve roots in the neck.

cognition

Mental activity of thinking, learning, and memory.

coma

Deep unconsciousness — no eye movement, no response, no speech.

concussion

Violent shaking or jarring of the brain.

delirium

Sudden, often reversible confusion — from fever, intoxication, or shock.

dementia

Slow decline in mental ability, often with personality changes.

electroencephalography (EEG)

Records the brain's electrical activity using electrodes on the scalp.

epilepsy

Brain disorder marked by recurring seizures.

factitious disorder

Faking a physical or mental illness while not actually sick.

hallucination

Seeing or hearing things that aren't really there.

hemorrhagic stroke

Brain damage from a leaking or ruptured blood vessel; a bleed.

ischemic stroke

Stroke caused by blocked blood flow to the brain.

lethargy

Lowered alertness — drowsy, sluggish, and apathetic.

meningitis

Inflammation of the meninges around the brain and spinal cord.

meningocele

Meninges bulge through a defect in the skull or spine (present at birth).

paresthesia

Burning or prickling feeling with no clear cause, usually in hands or feet.

peripheral neuropathy

Painful nerve damage in the hands and feet.

sciatica

Sciatic nerve inflammation; pain and tingling down the leg.

seizure

Sudden burst of electrical activity in the brain.

syncope

Fainting — a brief blackout from reduced blood flow to the brain.

multiple sclerosis (MS)

Autoimmune disease that destroys myelin in the brain and spinal cord.

Parkinson's disease

Progressive disease from low dopamine; causes tremor and stiffness.

migraine

Throbbing headache, usually one-sided, sometimes with a warning aura.

transient ischemic attack (TIA)

A "mini-stroke" — a temporary block of blood flow to the brain.

tremor

Involuntary, repetitive muscle movement, often in the hands.